Sleep deprivation and neurobehavioral functioning in children

• Sleep deprivation affects the prefrontal cortex, striatum and amygdala.
• Early sleep deprivation in childhood may result in long term behavior issues.
• A relationship between sleep architecture and behavior exists.
• Sleep problems impact core symptoms of common neurodevelopmental disorders.

Sleep deprivation can result in significant impairments in daytime neurobehavioral functioning in children. Neural substrates impacted by sleep deprivation include the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia and amygdala and result in difficulties with executive functioning, reward anticipation and emotional reactivity respectively. In everyday life, such difficulties contribute to academic struggles, challenging behaviors and public health concerns of substance abuse and suicidality. In this article, we aim to review 1) core neural structures impacted by sleep deprivation; 2) neurobehavioral problems associated with sleep deprivation; 3) specific mechanisms that may explain the relationship between sleep disturbances and neurobehavioral dysfunction; and 4) sleep problems reported in common neurodevelopmental disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs).